Brooder.



No. 794.520. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

G. H. LEE.

BROODER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.16, 1904.

7i 7, 5 I i f r yekle ATTORNEYS WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

BROODER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,520, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed November 16,1904. Serial No. 232,968.

T0 to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HOWARD LEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Brooder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to brooders such as used for raising chicks.

The object of the invention is to produce a brooder of simple construction provided with improved means for diffusing the heat supplied thereto and provided also with an improved arrangement for hovering or covering the chicks within the brooder, one of the purposes being to prevent the tendency to crowding of the chicks in the heated space.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the brooder with its sash open and with the bridge down, so as to enable the chicks to come out into the outer air. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the brooder, especially illustrating the construction of the difiuser; and Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially upon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the body of the brooder, which preferably comprises ends or end boards 2, having inclined upper edges 3, supporting a sash 4, which is hinged, as shown, to the cover 5. The ends 2 are connected by afront wall 6 of the brooder, which is provided at a suitable point with an opening 7, through which the chicks may find exit in a manner which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The brooder is provided with an elevated floor 8, and near the rear portion of the brooder a heating-box 9 is formed, the same comprising a cover 10 and downwardly-extending sides 11, as indicated. These sides do not extend to the floor of the brooder; but their lower edges 12 are elevated with respect to the same. Substantially the rear half portions of the ends 2 are cut away, so as to present practically horizontal edges 13 at a reduced elevation. Toward the rear these edges 13 are united by a longitudinally-disposed bar 1 1, and to this bar the rear side of the heatera sheet 17, preferably consisting of wire-gauze or similar material. From this arrangement the rear portion of the brooder constitutes an area or open space into which the chicks may pass when they desire to do so.

Heat is supplied to the interior of the heaterbox9 by means of a lamp 18 of any common form, the same being provided with a chimney 19, which is in communication with a horizontal flue 20, which passes continuously between the end walls 2 of the brooder, as shown, and through which arrangement the gases of combustion from the lamp pass to the outer air at 21 near the end of the brooder remote from the lamp. The chimney 19 is surrounded by a vertical jacket 22, and this jacket is in communication with a horizontal jacket or tube 23, which surrounds a portion of the flue 20 which lies adjacent to the lamp. The principal portion of the body of the flue 20 between the ends 2 is completely inclosed in a difluser 24. This diffuser consists of an enlarged sleeve of cylindrical form, which is hung upon the main flue 20, which is preferably riveted thereto, as indicated. Its extremity extends over the extremity of the jacket 23, as shown. In this connection it should be stated that the horizontal jacket or tube 23 is also arranged upon the main flue as though hung thereupon. The relative arrangement of the flue, jacket, and diffuser is very clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. It will appear from the description above and from an inspection of this figure that these parts are arranged eccentrically with respect to each other, their up per portions being adjacent.

From the arrangement described for the lamp and the flue 20 it should be understood that the air in the surrounding jacket 22 will be heated and will find its way through the jacket 23 into the interior of the diffuser 24. Being delivered, as it is, into this enlarged diffuser, the heated air entrains air through the inletmouth 26 near the lamp, which passes, as indicated by the arrows, throughthe mouth 25.

At the edges 12 aforesaid a blanket or hover 27 is hung, the body of which will hang loosely, as indicated, between the points'of support. Atthe edges 12 the blanket hangs vertically downward, so as to form curtains or screens 28, the lower edges of whichlie substantially against the floor 8. These curtains are preferably fringed and disposed in folds 28, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 1. From this arrangement it will be understood that the hover orblanket 27 incloses a space beneath the same in which the chicks may congregate, and this space will be kept very sensibly warmed by means of the heated air which passes'into the interior of the heaterbox 9. By reason of the fact that the body of the hover hangs down, as shown, it follows that the chicks may bring their bodies into direct contact with it, so that they experience somewhat the same sensation which they enjoy when passing under the body of a brooding-hen. Furthermore, the form of the hover adapts itself to the chicks, whatever be their size, for as they advance in size it becomes unnecessary for them to move so far as formerly toward the central portion of the hover.

Opposite the opening 7 referred to above the bottom 8 is provided with a bridge 29, which constitues a section of the floor and is connected to the body of the floor by suitable hinges 30. Normally this bridge occupies an inclined position, such as that indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the outer edge of the bridge resting upon the floor, so that means are afforded for the chicks to pass in and out of the brooder. The outer or lower edge of this bridge is preferably provided with a hook'3l, which cooperates with an eye 32 for the purpose of maintaining the bridge in an elevated position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, at which time the said bridge will constitute substantially an extension of the main body of the floor.

The sash 4 is preferably provided with glasscovered openings :33 and may be supported in an open position by means of a brace 34:, which is preferably pivoted, as at 35, to the forward portion of one of the ends 2.

Beneath the bottom 8 a transverse wall or partition 36 is provided, the face whereof is in substantial alinement with one edge of the opening 7, so that the side edges of the bridge 29 respectively lie against this partition and the adjacent edge wall. By reason of this arrangement the chicks cannot pass into the body of the brooder underneath the floor.

Against the inner faces of the ends of the heater-box '9 supports '37 are attached, to

which the sagging body of the hover 27 at taches. These supports consist, preferably, of Wooden slabs of substantially semicircular form, the curved edges being disposed downwardly and facilitating the insertion of fastening devices to hold the hover thereto. The connection with these end supports prevents any possibility of the chicks crawling or jumping'up to the upper side of the hover.

While the heating arrangement described above is illustrated in connection with a brooder, it should be understood that it could be as readily applied to the purposes of incubation.

A brooder provided with a difi user such as that described is especially valuable for heating brooders having long bodies. It insures a uniform heating by inducing a circulation of air from the .end near the lamp, Which has a tendency to be warmer than the remote end.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a device of the class described, a body, a substantially horizontal sleeve mounted therein and open at its ends, and a substantially horizontal tube for delivering heated air into said sleeve.

2. In a device for raising ,chicks, an elongated body, a flue passing from end to end through said body and adapted to conduct heated gases, a jacket surrounding a portion of said flue and adapted to lead heated air into the interior of said body, and an elongated sleeve surrounding said flue, having open ends and adapted to receive air from said jacket.

3. In a device for raising chicks, an elongated body, a flue passing longitudinally through said body, and an elongated sleeve surrounding said flue and having open ends adapted to conduct air between the ends of said body.

4:. In a device for raising chicks, a body, a flue passing continuously through said body, a diffuser consisting of a cylindrical sleeve surrounding said flue and having open ends, and a tubular jacket surrounding said flue and adapted to deliver air within said diffuser.

5. In a brooder, in combinatioma heatingbox havingdownwardly-projecting side walls, a heating-flue disposed within said box, and a hover supported from said side walls and hanging loosely therebetween, said hover having depending curtains at the sides, inclosing the space therebetween.

6. In a brooder, a heating-box, a hover depending therebelow, and supports attached to the ends of said box and presenting curved lower edges to which said hover is attached.

7. In a brooder, a heating-box, a hover attached to the side edges of said .box and hanging loosely therebetween, and end supports attached to the ends of said box and having substantially semicircular lower edges to which the ends of said hover attach.

8. In a brooder, in combination, a body, a heating-box hinged thereto and presenting edges disposed longitudinally with respect to said body, and a hover attached to said edges and to the ends of said heating-box, said hover normally depending within the said body.

9. In a brooder, in combination, a body having sides with inclined upper edges, a movable sash supported upon said inclined edges, a heating-box disposed longitudinally of said body to the rear of said sash and having downwardly-extending side walls, a hover attached to the lower edges of said side walls, hanging loosely therebetween and having depending curtains, the lower edges whereof lie adjacent to the brooder-floor, said body having an opening to the rear of said heater-box, and a screen closing said opening.

10. A brooder having aheating-box, ahover in the lower portion of said heating-box, said brooder having an opening adjacent to said box under which the floor of said brooder passes, said hover depending atthe edge of said boX adjacent to said opening to form a curtain separating the space below said opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE HOWARD LEE.

Witnesses:

HARRY RowLEY, N. M. PETTIT. 

